The American Reserve Bar & Grille

We made reservations and were welcomed by the manager and he found us a table in the corner. We were seated next to an area where it seemed to have just been occupied by 10 or 12 people. The table was unbussed and dirty. There were 2 servers and the dining room was approximately 70% capacity, including a 10 top. We were greeted by our server and received our drinks. Because of the capacity and probability that the kitchen was understaffed due to COVID-19, our food took 35 minutes to receive. Our first dish was the Border Hash, it was a well seasoned and creative dish. Potatoes, black beans, bacon, chorizo and salsa verde, topped with 2 eggs over easy. The eggs were over cooked and hard. Our second dish was the baked custard brioche french toast, with macerated strawberries. The dish was basically a layer of burned cubes of bread on top of a layer of soggy bread, it should be marketed more as a bread pudding than french toast. The strawberries were freshly cut, not macerated, it was hard to eat. The server quickly apologized and offered to replace, we chose 2 eggs over easy. It was around 15 minutes to receive the eggs, the eggs were overcooked and hard. Both the french toast and the 2 eggs were removed from our tab without our requesting them to. It was appreciated to be have them just take care of our issue without any resistance. Our overall experience was, ok. We hope to give them another try very soon.

Fantastic in every single way. Charming, romantic, excellent service. Delicious food!

I have been here twice before and had a better experience on those occasions. This visit wasn't bad but it nothing was quite up to the usual standard.

Great experience

My husband hosted my 50th birthday dinner with our friend and family. The ambiance and the cocktails were top notch, the service was fantastic and the food was delicious. We enjoyed the jazzy speakeasy setting; I know we will definitely be back to enjoy more libations.

One last bit of information to think about before going, the restaurant charges a tourism tax onto of the regular food tax, so keep that in mind.

All in all a great restaurant to go to enjoy a night on the town.

Our waiter, Jake, was TERRIFIC! I would go back just to have him serve us again because he was genuine and gave us great recommendations and everything tasted fantastic

This was for a birthday brunch! Would recommend!

My husband and I stayed at The Ambassador Hotel and this restaurant is in the hotel. The menu looked good and it was convenient , so we made reservations. We were seated at a table that was bumped against the server station which is the reason for the poor rating for noise level. Glasses clinking, ice clinking, silverware clinking. I get the space restrictions because of Covid but the table should have been further away. Our $100 bottle of wine was decanted and was literally set on the server station to save room on our table for entrees. The food and beverages were great and we would eat here again but would wait for a better table.

Great cocktails and delicious food

Doesn’t look like much in the lobby but the food and service was outstanding. Had a Bloody Mary and bacon fried rice - sounds weird but oh so good!!

The wait staff and bartender were both amazing. They constantly checked in on us. The food was delicious. We ordered the prime rib and bœuf bourguignon. The low lighting, and small/intimate atmosphere are great for date night!

We had a lovely time the server was awesome

Great food and beautiful seating! Will
be back to try more of the menu.

Waited over 5 minutes to be greeted. Another 20 to get our drinks while the table next to us came in after and got their drinks and food before we received our first round. Was not informed of specials or asked if there were questions about the menu. Manager made excuses about it being busy (there were 4 tables there) which took 10 minutes to have him come to our table. Not sure how another table who came in after us got their food and drinks before us if they were so “busy”. I have never felt more awkward or ignored at a restaurant before and this was my first time here....on my birthday. Horrible experience. Left without finishing our drinks or trying anything. Spent 45 minutes there waiting for drinks and to speak with a manager. Will not return here or recommend to anyone.

Service is consistently great! We live a block away so visit for brunch & dinner regularly. Food is overall good, but occasionally portions are off, or something arrives to the table cold. Sad that they have discontinued bottomless mimosas on Sundays. Time to find a new brunch spot!

We had reservations for 9:30 and they rushed us throughout dinner. The chicken was dry. The waiter started offering to pack up our desert to go instead of offering us the option to finish there and have an after dinner drinks

Overall it was a great place. The service (Joshua) was outstanding! He tended to our every need and even went above and beyond to provide great service. The portion size left a little to be desired but it was for Restaurant Week and that may be the reason. All things considered, we will definitely return!

Had a wonderful experience here and will definitely be back. Service was amazing, food was delicious, and so were the drinks! Highly recommend.

This was my first time at The American Reserve and it did not disappoint! We were promptly seated for our reservation, the food came out quickly and everything was delicious! We came for restaurant week and had the mussels, shrimp, salmon and potato cake and steak and fries. We also added brussel sprouts which were amazing! All around such a great experience, thank you!

The restaurant had soothing music that was quiet and didn’t compete with a conversation.
The mussels and broth were my favorite, but all the food was delicious.
Great ambiance.

The restaurant has a lovely ambiance and nice service. We enjoyed our time here. The food was lacking a bit. After a 3 course meal I left hungry. 3 jumbo shrimp in the appetizer, beef tenderloin was pretty underwhelming, the dessert of chocolate mousse was tasty. It was an enjoyable evening, but overall not worth the price of the food.

Always a great brunch experience! Consistently good food & service! Ask for Mary Kate!

Service and food prep quality were exceptional. Guys running the show were friendly and appreciative while still professional. Digs are well maintained and properly lit and made for a nice relaxed comfortable evening.

For a pandemic going on, this place did a great job making everyone feel safe. Walking up to to building and being greeted by the staff was a nice experience. When entering, the ambience and decor were beautiful. We decided to sit outside where live music was being played. The food was excellent as well as our waiter. Perfect night! Thank you again! I’ll definitely be back!

I fell in love with the flavors of fall here. The pork chop and steak was cooked to perfection. The seasoning complimented the pork and beef, not overpowered. The truffle butter is to die for and magical. The cocktails are outstanding. Loved the KC ice water. The staff is very knowledgeable and will guide you on food journey. The atmosphere is romantic and personable. Love the redone bank and decor. Highly recommend a special night here.

Attended A La Mode's show, a couple of friends joined me that evening. Chalis was our server. We had an exceptional time. Chalis was busy but always tentative to our needs and brought out each dish/drink with a smile. He was great at lending drink suggestions, explaining the menu and keeping us engaged with the food and show.

His special performance with A La Mode was the cherry on top. My friends and I (plus the crowd) were thrilled to see musicians join together to bring us joy as they shared their talent.

Thank you for this amazing space!

Great entertainment, service staff is outstanding.

We went for my mother’s birthday. The food was good, Bloody Mary delicious and Dustin was awesome.

The food was off the chart along with the service, but we were the only ones in there. Felt very safe and clean.
People need to get out and support the urban core of Kansas City!

Dinner was raw and inedible. The menu has changed so don’t depend on the options you see online.

At first they misplaced our reservation(was quickly resolved due to how many empty seats were there), the server was not attentive, the server never gave a recommendation or anything, and when the food came it wasn’t even correct. He eventually noticed that he messed up when we were ready to go and tried to correct it. But we were just not interested in staying. Loved the ambiance! The food was just over priced for the size and lack of quality of taste. The cocktails were meh. We’d come back and sit out side to listen to the band and drink wine, but not to eat or do cocktails. Those were not worth it.

Poor food, poor service, expensive drinks. Good entertainment

This was a special birthday celebration for my wife and decided to stay at the Ambassador and instead of going out, stay at the hotel and eat at the American Reserve. Couldn't have made a better choice! Very intimate setting, very few tables (nice for us), started with the mussels as an appetizer, good choice, broth was excellent. Nice, reasonably priced, bottle of wine with dinner. Extensive wine list. Both of us ordered the Halibut. Wife said it was one of the best entrees she ever had. It was excellent. Ordered the Goats and Rabbit cocktail for an after dinner drink. If you like a Manhattan or Sazerac, you'll love this. Next morning, went down for breakfast, again, far from crowded. I had one of the best breakfast sandwiches I've ever eaten. Will visit again!

Had a great time with the girls on the patio listing to the Amber Underwood project. Food was superb as usual. Server was slow but sweet. I love this place!

Beautiful decor, wonderful food, and very attentive service. We ate inside and the noise level was perfect for our older ears.

Excellent food and service. The jazz act was amazing

I typically don’t review restaurants, but the Reserve experience was extremely subpar. The outdoor converted parking garage is nice but that was it. There was a birthday party next to us with 50 people. Everyone was standing around without masks as if it were a bar. If they were sitting, that would have been different but the restaurant should have enforced masks if they were standing around. Do NOT go here if you are looking to social distance as the staff does not care! Food is over priced for quantity you get as well.

It was exciting and fun!

They were celebrating Charlie Parkers 100th Birthday with Lonnie McFadden on a Saturday night. This man is a triple threat and gives a great show. Great food and they take social distancing serious.

We love the atmosphere and Lonnie made for a wonderfully enjoyable evening. Such a creative use of space for COVID world.